How to Audit GTM & GA4 Installation with Screaming Frog

May 15, 2026
  • First Published: May 15, 2026
  • Last Modified: May 15, 2026

Missing tracking tags can completely skew your analytics reporting. You might spot-check your homepage and assume everything is working perfectly. A client might even assure you the setup is complete. Yet, you suddenly find missing data from crucial product pages or a quiet drop in conversions.

Relying on manual spot checks is risky.

You need a faster method to verify your Google Tag Manager / GA4 code is firing everywhere it should be.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

  • Manual checking with Tag Assistant is too slow for comprehensive site audits.

  • Screaming Frog’s Custom Search feature quickly finds missing GTM code across your whole site.

  • You can adapt this exact method to check for Meta pixels and cookie consent banners.

  • Missing tags are sometimes intentional on admin portals or specific low-value pages.

Why Manual Spot Checks Fall Short

You could certainly check pages one by one using Google Tag Assistant or the GTM preview mode.

For a quick look at a single landing page, that works fine.

But when you are auditing an entire website, manual checking quickly becomes tedious and error-prone.

A developer might roll out a new page template and simply forget to include the container code.

If you are not checking every single URL, you will easily miss these gaps.

Finding Missing Tags Fast?

Enter Screaming Frog.

There is a much speedier way to review your setup.

Screaming Frog allows you to scan the source code of any internal HTML page during a crawl.

This means you can ask the crawler to specifically look for your GTM container ID or your GA4 ID.

Here is the exact process:

  1. Open Screaming Frog and head to the top menu.
  2. Click Configuration, then Custom, and finally Custom Search.
Custom Search Screaming Frog

  1. Click Add and give your search a clear name, like “GTM Code Present”.

  2. Paste your specific GTM container code or ID into the search field.

  3. Set the filter to search the HTML head.

  4. Click OK and run your site crawl.

GTM Code Present

As the spider crawls, it will flag any instances where that specific snippet is missing.

You can apply the exact same logic if you run a direct gtag.js Google Analytics installation instead of a tag manager.

Analysing the Crawl Results

Once the crawl finishes, you will see exactly which URLs lack your tracking code.

But before you rush to alert the development team, take a moment to review the list.

Finding missing tags is not always a red flag.

Sometimes, you intentionally exclude tracking from specific areas. You probably do not want analytics firing on secure admin portals, staging environments, or purely functional pages that offer no analytical value.

However, if you spot core service pages or checkout steps on that list, you know exactly where to focus your fixes.

In my own campaigns, I have seen clients swear their tracking was flawless because the homepage fired correctly, only for a custom search audit to reveal their blog templates were entirely untracked.

GTM Code Results

Expanding Your Custom Search Audit

You do not have to stop at Google Tag Manager.

This custom search function works for almost any snippet of code.

You might want to verify your Meta pixel installation or ensure your cookie consent banner loads correctly across all pages.

You can add multiple custom searches to a single crawl, making your tracking audits highly efficient.

To guarantee your crawl catches everything, double-check your spider configuration.

Ensure you set the crawler to follow linked XML sitemaps. Alternatively, you can upload a specific list of URLs you want to review.

Wrapping Up

Verifying your tracking setup does not have to be a slow process.

By setting up a custom search in Screaming Frog, you gain total confidence that your data collection is comprehensive.

You spot the gaps instantly and fix them before they disrupt your reporting.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I check if GTM is working on all pages?
The fastest method is using a crawler tool like Screaming Frog. You can configure a Custom Search to look for your specific GTM container ID across the HTML head of every page on your domain.

Can Screaming Frog find Google Analytics code?
Yes. You can use the Custom Search feature to find the standard gtag.js snippet across your website, just as you would search for a tag manager container.

Why is my tracking tag missing from certain pages?
Tags often drop off when new page templates are created, during site migrations, or if developers forget to include the header scripts on specific content types.

Kyle

Author

Hello, I'm Kyle Rushton McGregor!

I’m an experienced GA4 Specialist with a demonstrated history of working with Google Tag Manager and Looker Studio. I’m an international speaker who has trained 1000s of people on all things analytics.

Find out more About me
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